Ahead alloy drum sticks

Hey everyone - quick story and then a QUESTION for those of you who are big time Ahead users.

I just switched to these (the Tommy Lee Concert model, I used to use the Vic Firth Metal sticks) last summer for a few different reasons.

#1, I had a really bad shoulder injury and the sticks promised less shock. I also have a bad right wrist from playing mostly punk and metal for 20 years - LOTS of fast eighth notes. The amount of shock that is reduced by playing with these sticks is HUGE and I rarely feel any discomfort in my wrists at all now when I play.

#2, I break A LOT of sticks. When I go on a tour, I have to bring a new pair of sticks for every show of the tour. That gets expensive when we go out for 6 weeks at a time and play 35 - 40 shows. With the Aheads, I did 5 rehearsals and 1 show before a tip finally flew off. If I had been using wood sticks, I would have gone through at least 2 - 3 pairs in that time frame and would have spent at least $21 replacing those sticks, depending on how friendly the guys at the drum shop were that week. Instead, I put on a new tip that I bought on eBay in a bag of 10 that cost me about $4, including shipping. So that's about $0.40 that I've spent so far as the sticks were a gift.

#3, I also break A LOT of cymbals. I have to buy 2 -3 new cymbals per year. A crash usually last me about 6 months before it goes. And I use the best - no B8 Pros or whatever the current student model is. We're talking Avedis Zildjian Rock Crashes, Paiste Rudes, Sabian HH, etc. Whatever you've got, I'll break it. Many of the claims I've read both from sales brochures and from people on message boards who actually use the sticks have said that they are better for your gear than wood sticks. So far, so good on that as well.

Now of course you can criticize my technique as being just a caveman basher, and I would probably take that as a compliment so you'd be wasting your time. There are just certain styles of music that require hard hitting drums. There are also certain guitar players who feel that if their drummer plays one rim shot, they have to turn their amp up to 10,000 and leave it there. For like 8 friggin years, all over the damn world! But hey, that's rock n' roll.

ANYWAY, for those of you who use these sticks a lot, I do have a question:

I lost a tip on one of my sticks today. No, I didn't break every head and cymbal on my drumset because of it. I felt a difference in the weight of the stick, saw the tip was gone, and grabbed another one out of my stick depot - no further damage done. So anyway, I replaced that tip when I got home, but now I've noticed that the sleeve is loose. It will slide around the aluminum shaft pretty easily and will slide from side to side just below the tip of the stick. I have the tip screwed on all the way - did the business card and pair of pliers trick. I'm wondering, has anyone else had this happen and/or do you know of a way to fix it? The sleeve itself is in good condition and I think it has probably 2 or 3 more rehearsals in it before it needs to be replaced so I'm hoping not to have to replace it.

Thanks for reading!
 
1 You probably don't have the tip screwed down all of the way.

2 May be the wrong relacement sleeve ????

3 If you heated the covers, you may have over heated it causing it to expand too much and slide around which would make it seem too big.
 
DarthDiablo said:
Thanks Wolfman, I'll try to get the tip on tighter. The sleeve is original to the stick from the factory, so it's gotta be the tip then.
Click to expand...

Here is 1 more thing... The sleeve may have been cut a little too short at the factory. The tip should screw right down on the cover. If there is a gap between the tip and the cover and you have screwed it down all the way. . . just get yourself some new covers.
 
Awesome, thanks for the tips, Wolfman! I tried screwing it on tighter and that did the trick just fine - the sleeve isn't going anywhere now. I guess I just have to get used to the maintenance part. I did manage to scuff up the tip, though, using a business card and a pair of pliers - the pliers ate right through the card. But I should get quite of play out of it still. Do you know of a better way than the business card trick or do I just need to tell my friends to make more heavy duty business cards?
 
DarthDiablo said:
Now of course you can criticize my technique as being just a caveman basher, and I would probably take that as a compliment so you'd be wasting your time. There are just certain styles of music that require hard hitting drums.
Click to expand...
Would you consider John Bonham a hard hitting drummer?
 
DarthDiablo said:
Awesome, thanks for the tips, Wolfman! I tried screwing it on tighter and that did the trick just fine - the sleeve isn't going anywhere now. I guess I just have to get used to the maintenance part. I did manage to scuff up the tip, though, using a business card and a pair of pliers - the pliers ate right through the card. But I should get quite of play out of it still. Do you know of a better way than the business card trick or do I just need to tell my friends to make more heavy duty business cards?
Click to expand...

I just use my shirt and pliers. Put the pliers on the shirt covered tip and turn the stick with the hand that's holding it. I also put a very small "drop" of super glue on the threads when changing sleeves. That will stop the tips from coming loose. I always check them between songs or before and after I play. I have been using them for just about 9 years now. I love them.
 
Fiery said:
Would you consider John Bonham a hard hitting drummer?
Click to expand...

Absolutely - and what was great about Bonham is that so much of it was in his wrists, especially as he got older. In the early days he was wild flailing arms and hair, but in the later videos I've seen he's much more reserved as far as his body movements, but he's still killin those drums. It's drummers like Bonham, Moon, and Carmine Appice that we have to thank for the fact that we have heavy duty hardware on our drums today since those guys broke so much of it.
 
wolfmoon said:
I just use my shirt and pliers. Put the pliers on the shirt covered tip and turn the stick with the hand that's holding it. I also put a very small "drop" of super glue on the threads when changing sleeves. That will stop the tips from coming loose. I always check them between songs or before and after I play. I have been using them for just about 9 years now. I love them.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks again Wolfman. I will try that next time I do new tips/sleeves.
 
DarthDiablo said:
Absolutely - and what was great about Bonham is that so much of it was in his wrists, especially as he got older. In the early days he was wild flailing arms and hair, but in the later videos I've seen he's much more reserved as far as his body movements, but he's still killin those drums. It's drummers like Bonham, Moon, and Carmine Appice that we have to thank for the fact that we have heavy duty hardware on our drums today since those guys broke so much of it.
Click to expand...
The thing with Bonham is that in the later days, with apropriate technique, he broke far fewer sticks, cymbals and heads without losing any of the volume or intensity in his playing. He is a perfect example of a hard hitter who isn't a basher.

Please don't take this as a rant, it's just something to think about, especially if you plan on rocking the kit for the next 20 years with the same intensity. If you feel that what you are doing now will let you achieve the results you want in the best possible way for you, by all means keep doing it.

Well, that's all I wanted to say, thanks for the attention and keep hitting hard!
 
right for some reason my tips keep getting chipped, but i think its because i like to play alot on the open hats, the rides bell and hard hitting my crashes!
from now on i am going to not hitting so hard but when i get a pair of vic firth 5a nylon tip and they break i will buy ahead!
but as i am 11 i can't really earn money so i would have to stay with aheads even if over a time i hated them!

please tell my why i keep breaking the tips!!!??
heres some pics of the tip(1st pic: vic firth 3a )
IMG_3371.jpg
 
You should hit open hi-hats, bells and crashes with the shoulder of the stick, and that doesn't break the tips. The tips chip and break from playing the ride mostly.
And Ahead nylon tips aren't much more durable than standard wood stick nylon tips as far as I know.
 
I have been wanting to try Ahead sticks for a few years now. I finally ordered a pair, i'll post what I think of them after a week or so of playing with them
 
I love Ahead sticks but have I have mixed feelings. I have gone through about 5 pairs in about 5 years so in that sense I've saved a lot of money. However, I love the sound of wood tips on my hat and ride better. I should post pics of my poor beaten aheads. Has anyone actually changed the sleeves of these? How in the world? Any videos out there of this mystery/myth?
 
Not even a week of use and I already prefer the Ahead sticks over my standard Vic Firths. The sound they produce on the toms is amazing, wow. So much power behind these sticks, I also like the nice ping I get on the ride.

I love these sticks and will continue to use them for a long time, I recommend people to at least try them out if they can.
 
DarthDiablo said:
Hey everyone - quick story and then a QUESTION for those of you who are big time Ahead users.

I just switched to these (the Tommy Lee Concert model, I used to use the Vic Firth Metal sticks) last summer for a few different reasons.

#1, I had a really bad shoulder injury and the sticks promised less shock. I also have a bad right wrist from playing mostly punk and metal for 20 years - LOTS of fast eighth notes. The amount of shock that is reduced by playing with these sticks is HUGE and I rarely feel any discomfort in my wrists at all now when I play.

#2, I break A LOT of sticks. When I go on a tour, I have to bring a new pair of sticks for every show of the tour. That gets expensive when we go out for 6 weeks at a time and play 35 - 40 shows. With the Aheads, I did 5 rehearsals and 1 show before a tip finally flew off. If I had been using wood sticks, I would have gone through at least 2 - 3 pairs in that time frame and would have spent at least $21 replacing those sticks, depending on how friendly the guys at the drum shop were that week. Instead, I put on a new tip that I bought on eBay in a bag of 10 that cost me about $4, including shipping. So that's about $0.40 that I've spent so far as the sticks were a gift.

#3, I also break A LOT of cymbals. I have to buy 2 -3 new cymbals per year. A crash usually last me about 6 months before it goes. And I use the best - no B8 Pros or whatever the current student model is. We're talking Avedis Zildjian Rock Crashes, Paiste Rudes, Sabian HH, etc. Whatever you've got, I'll break it. Many of the claims I've read both from sales brochures and from people on message boards who actually use the sticks have said that they are better for your gear than wood sticks. So far, so good on that as well.

Now of course you can criticize my technique as being just a caveman basher, and I would probably take that as a compliment so you'd be wasting your time. There are just certain styles of music that require hard hitting drums. There are also certain guitar players who feel that if their drummer plays one rim shot, they have to turn their amp up to 10,000 and leave it there. For like 8 friggin years, all over the damn world! But hey, that's rock n' roll.

ANYWAY, for those of you who use these sticks a lot, I do have a question:

I lost a tip on one of my sticks today. No, I didn't break every head and cymbal on my drumset because of it. I felt a difference in the weight of the stick, saw the tip was gone, and grabbed another one out of my stick depot - no further damage done. So anyway, I replaced that tip when I got home, but now I've noticed that the sleeve is loose. It will slide around the aluminum shaft pretty easily and will slide from side to side just below the tip of the stick. I have the tip screwed on all the way - did the business card and pair of pliers trick. I'm wondering, has anyone else had this happen and/or do you know of a way to fix it? The sleeve itself is in good condition and I think it has probably 2 or 3 more rehearsals in it before it needs to be replaced so I'm hoping not to have to replace it.

Thanks for reading!
Click to expand...

Hmm that's funny some guys have told me that i shouldn't buy non-wood sticks because they're BAD for my cymbals. Funny that. Hmm i'll definetly have to try some out some day.

Fiery said:
You should hit open hi-hats, bells and crashes with the shoulder of the stick, and that doesn't break the tips. The tips chip and break from playing the ride mostly.
And Ahead nylon tips aren't much more durable than standard wood stick nylon tips as far as I know.
Click to expand...

In my experience i tend to get more sticks breaking away from the tip, rather than the tip snapping off.
 
I bought a pair of these on impulse last weekend. I played them for 5 minutes and thought they were awful. I got 5As and they're heavier than any 5A I've ever played. The balance is just weird, with most of the weight settled in the front of the stick. They sound terrible on cymbals (to me)...and are generally devoid of all of the warmth of a wood stick.

So, I've got a pristine pair of Ahead 5A with an extra set of nylon sleeves...all still in the package...if anyone wants a deal. I'll sell 'em for $20 + shipping (I paid $37 + tax). Guitar Center won't take them back because they "don't take used sticks". They don't have a mark on them so that's a load...but I guess I'm stuck with them.
 
zambizzi said:
I bought a pair of these on impulse last weekend. I played them for 5 minutes and thought they were awful. I got 5As and they're heavier than any 5A I've ever played. The balance is just weird, with most of the weight settled in the front of the stick. They sound terrible on cymbals (to me)...and are generally devoid of all of the warmth of a wood stick.
Click to expand...

This just shows the diversity of preference. You either like these sticks or you hate em.

The sticks obviously are balanced differently than wooden sticks, but it will only bother some people and not others. And the rock vic firths I use are far heavier than the Aheads.
 
gibeachhead said:
This just shows the diversity of preference. You either like these sticks or you hate em.

The sticks obviously are balanced differently than wooden sticks, but it will only bother some people and not others. And the rock vic firths I use are far heavier than the Aheads.
Click to expand...

Yep, I knew right away they weren't for me. I don't like nylon tips to begin with but I figured I've give these a chance.

I'm comparing the 5As that I normally play....VF American Classic, Akira Jimbo sig., Weckl Evolution sig. - the Ahead 5A were considerably heavier and balanced toward toward the tip. The "rock" model is a bigger stick, isn't it?

Ever held a dumbbell with a plate on only one side, in your hand? That's the first thing I thought of.
 
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